Students and professors demonstrated their skills at throwing an atlatl, the oldest projectile system ever developed, on Wednesday as part of CSUN’s Anthro Expo. The atlatl was still in use in North America when the Spanish arrived in 1540. They were dismayed to find their breastplates penetrable against the obsidian points fastened to the long shafts. The expo showcased the work being done in the anthropology department. Other skills on display included spinning wool and methods for removing the bottoms of glass bottles in order to reuse the glass to make projectile points, as well as other displays in Sierra Tower. In the photo to the left, Dr. Matthew des Lauriers of CSUN’s anthropology department shows Rita Alexander, a linguistics major, how to toss an atlatl. Above, Meghan Barge shows one of the projectile points she made using the bottom of a glass bottle.
